Bayer Corporation

Jeffrey D Brehant

Linn C Hoover

Thomas C Reiter

Daniel A Slater

Luis R Torres

David J Revelle

Patrick Vo

Thomas Kucharski

A process and apparatus for holding a plurality of medicaments to be coated is disclosed. A support member is provided having a receiving surface with a plurality of channels to communicate a vacuum across the receiving surface and an aperture operable to couple the plurality of channels to a vacuum source. A flexible mat having a perimeter shaped to engage the support member in a sealed relation is provided on the support member. The flexible mat includes a plurality of medicament receptacles mounted to a first surface and adapted to receive the medicaments. The medicament receptacles initially are in a first position when no vacuum is applied. In the first position, the medicament receptacles are positioned to receive a medicament. When a vacuum is applied, the medicament receptacles change to a second position in which the medicament receptacles are positioned to hold the medicament and permit coating thereof.

Process and apparatus for holding medicaments to be coated

A process and apparatus for the gelatin coating of medicaments which includes a continuous conveyer system to advance a plurality of pallets through a loading station, at least one dipping station, at least one dryer station, a reorientation station and an unloading station. Medicaments to be coated are loaded into pallets at the loading station and advanced to the first dipping station where a vacuum is applied to secure the medicament to the pallet. The pallet is inverted and a first portion of each of the medicaments is dipped into a coating mixture. The pallet is then returned to its upright position, the vacuum is removed and the coating is dried. The medicaments are then transferred from the first pallet to a second pallet by a reorientation mechanism. The second pallet is then advanced to a second dipping station which operates in the same manner as the first dipping station. The second pallet is advanced through the dryer station and the fully coated medicaments are ejected from the pallet into a container. The pallets used to hold the medicaments include a plate-like support member, on which rests a flexible mat having a rectangular array of receptacles including compliant diaphragm portions such that when a vacuum is applied to the pallet, the medicaments are secured thereto. The drying means includes air directing plates having sinusoidal rows of air directing apertures under which the medicaments to be dried are passed.

Process and apparatus for drying a plurality of dip-coated medicaments

Apparatus for the gelatin coating of medicaments

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Lititz, PA, United States of America

Jeffrey D Brehant